Ukraine’s parliament-appointed president cancels visit to Lithuania

KIEV, April 06 /ITAR-TASS/. Ukraine’s parliament-appointed President Alexander Turchinov has canceled his working visit to Lithuania, where he was supposed to take part in a conference of parliament speakers from the European Union member countries, over the development in the Donetsk and Lugansk region, the press service of the Ukrainian parliament reported on Sunday.

Turchinov called an emergency meeting of heads of law enforcement ministries and agencies and took the situation in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions under his personal control, the press service said.

On Sunday, protesters in the city of Donetsk, in Eastern Ukraine, seized the building of the regional state administration having broken through a police cordon. About 2,000 people gathered in Donetsk’s central Lenin Square in voice their support to the officers of the Berkut riot police who had been detained by the Ukrainian security services on suspicion of manslaughter during the confrontation in Kiev. The current authorities, according to the protesters, were trying to “play a card of repression against dissidents.”

Also on Sunday, protesters seized the building of Lugansk region department of Ukraine’s Security Service. About 1,000 people took part in a picket in front of the building of Lugansk’s department of the Ukrainian Security Service urging to release the leader of the Lugansk Guards, Alexander Kharitonov. Apart from that, activists in Lugansk held a motor rally in support of a referendum on the federalization of Ukraine. About 30 cars waiving Russian and Ukrainian flags started from Yarmarochnaya Square to run through the streets of the city. The action was initiatved by public organizations Lugansk Guards, the People’s Liberation Movement, and Russian Unity.

On March 14, Ukrainian security officers detained leader of the Lugansk Guards Alexander Kharitonov, who had proclaimed himself as a “people’s governor” of the Lugansk region, on suspicion of attempting to topple the constitutional regime.